Press Kit - Madam Black

MADAM BLACK
When a glamour photographer runs over a child’s pet, he’s forced to fabricate a story about its disappearance.
The story of Madam Black is partly inspired by an accident the writer had with a kitten bought as a Christmas present by his mother-inlaw for the grandchildren and by events recounted by Dora Diamant, the lover of author Franz Kafka. According to Diamant, she and Kafka
met a little girl in a park who was crying because she had lost her doll. Kafka told her not to worry since the doll was away on a trip and
would be sending correspondence.
DIRECTOR
Ivan Barge is a New Zealand based director and producer. Madam Black, his second short film, was funded by the New Zealand Film
Commission. The film has screened at film festivals on four continents, winning numerous accolades. Ivan’s first short film Snooze Time
was released online in late 2014 by Short of the Week and was selected for the New Directors section of Shots.
WRITER
Matthew Harris is a writer of films and fiction. His short films have travelled the international festival circuit from Tribeca in New York to
the Clermont-Ferrand festival in France, accruing various awards and nominations. Matthew’s films Snooze Time and 43000 Feet can be
found on Short of the Week.
MARCUS
Jethro Skinner flew all the way from the UK to New Zealand to be involved in the film, it’s a very long way. We were lucky enough to
get him in-between his performances in the West End and Broadway runs of Mark Rylance’s production of Twelfth Night and Richard
III. Aside from winning the Best Actor Award at the Russian Oscars for the film Plus One, his other notable roles include a rapist in Cold
Feet and a pervert who drilled into his groin on Casualty. Jethro has very large eyes and hair that won’t lie flat which has meant he is
regularly consigned to the overcrowded room of the ‘quirkier’ actor. He is also a very nice man.
TILLY
Pearl Everard is currently enrolled in the Aspiring Young Actors program at The Auckland Performing Arts Centre. Madam Black was her
first short film and she has appeared in several TVCs, both in New Zealand and Internationally. When she is not acting, Pearl enjoys sport,
school, friends and camping. But most of all, she enjoys playing games with her sisters and brother, as well as shooting guns with mum
and dad.
CAST
Marcus
Tilly
DETAILS
Jethro Skinner
Pearl Everard
Rachel
Rebekah Davies
Client
Yvette Parsons
Roy
Party scene
Richard Knowles
Savannah Eve Martin
Country of Production
Language
Date Of Completion
Filming Locations
Genre
New Zealand
English
2015
Auckland, New Zealand
Drama
TECHNICAL
Melanie Martin
Zoe Kitteridge
Jo Kitteridge
Rupert Powell
Chris Powell
Faith Tavita
Madison Tavita
Runtime
Sound Mix
Colour
Aspect Ratio
Camera
Mia Tucker
5:1
Colour
2.35 : 1
Alexa plus 4:3 and JDC Xtal
Xpress Anamorphics
Lyla Tavita
Maria Tavita
11 min
Website
Stills
madamblack.com
Download
Jack Tucker
Facebook
facebook.com/madamblackshort
Kate Tucker
Instagram
instagram.com/lovemadamblack
Ruby Judson
Hamish Judson
Distribution
[email protected]
SYNOPSIS
When portrait photographer Marcus finds himself in an awkward situation after running over a young girl’s cat, he attempts to ease the
problem by inventing a story about its disappearance. Telling the girl her pet has gone on a round-the-world trip, he finds himself having
to embellish his white lie through a series of postcards - but this solution soon threatens to become more trouble than it was worth...
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
I was excited to read the script for Madam Black after having previously worked with Matthew Harris on Snooze Time, and I was not
disappointed. The series of events in the story veer towards the realm of the unbelievable, while still being ever so slightly plausible. It
was important to me that the film walked the fine line between the real and the surreal.
In order to achieve this we opted for a formal approach to the camera work, I didn’t want the audience to be distracted from the story
or to be pulled out of the world that the characters inhabit. Likewise for the art department, wardrobe and locations, the film needed to
feel stylised as well as of this time and place.
The lead character Marcus came across to me as someone who was lonely and not particularly happy with their lot in life. While he
does make some questionable and strange decisions along the way, I never felt his choices had malicious intentions. Ultimately, Marcus
tries to do the right thing, even if it’s not always that apparent. Because of the grey area surrounding the character’s actions, the role
needed an actor who was believable and likeable. I had seen a UK short film, Sign Language, in which Jethro played the lead. I knew
he would be perfect for the part, he had range, his performance was not only expressive but also subtle. He has the innate ability to
draw empathy from an audience and that’s not an easy quality to find in an actor.
The story culminates in a party scene, one in which Marcus’s grand gesture could have certainly been more considered. This leaves the
audience with a certain amount of ambiguity as to what happens next. Will Tilly’s mother, Rachel, forgive his lack of thought? Does it
matter? This is for the audience to decide, but at the very least I hope they walk away in the knowledge that he has redeemed himself
in the eyes of a 7 year old girl.
FESTIVALS
Dances With Films,
Los Angeles
May 2015
Industry Choice Award
Honourable Mention
Competition Shorts
Heartland Film Festival
Indianapolis, IN
October 2015
New Zealand
International
Film Festival
July 2015
Audience Choice Award
Asiana International Short
Film Festival
Seoul, Korea
November 2015
Flickers Rhode Island
International Film Festival
DC Shorts Film Festival,
Washington DC
August 2015
September 2015
First Prize
Director’s Choice Award
Leeds International
Film Festival
November 2015
Audience Award Short FIlm
Heart of Gold
Film Festival
Gimpy, Australia
Tacoma Film Festival
Tacoma, WA
October 2015
October 2015
24 FPS International Film
Festival
Arlene, TX
Show Me Shorts
Film Festival
Auckland, NZ
November 2015
November 2015
Gijon International
Film Festival
November 2015
Youth Jury Award for Best
Short Film
Gil Porando Award
Best Art Direction
Magma International Film
Festival
Acireale, Italy
November 2015
Festival Tous Courts
Aix-en-Provence, France
Festival Tous Courts
Aix-en-Provence, France
November 2015
February 2016
CREDITS
Director Of Photography
Andrew Stroud
Unit Manager
Georgie Morgan
Art Director
Michael Williams
Foley Recorded
The Foley Room
Editors
Sam Brunette
Jarrod Wright
Ken Sparks
1st Assistant Director
Chris Short
Stand-By Props
Mei Ling Cooper
Foley Supervisor
Amy Barber
2nd Assistant Director
Nikki Castle
Art Department Runner
Rochelle Gosling
Foley Performers
Ben Parker
Michael Logie
Casting
Catch Casting
Matte Painter
James Stewart
Acting Coach/Chaperone
Miriama McDowell
Taxidermist
Gary Shaw
1st AC
Eoin O’Liddigh
Wardrobe Designer
Hannah-Lee Turner
2nd AC
Manon Laffitte
Make Up Artist
Katie Rogers
Original Music
Justyn Pilbrow
Video Split
Rick James Gutzewitz
Sound Recordist
Michelle Mascoll
Visual FX Artists
Mat Ellin
Andrew Timms
Stuart Bedford
Sound Designer
James Bryant
Gaffer
Spencer Locke-Bonney
Boom Operator
Liz Olliver
Stills
Todd Bilton
Storyboard Artist
Phil Rimmer
Best Boy
Ben Corlett
Sound Supervisor
James Hayday
Colourist
Pete Ritchie
Production Manager
Tom Townley
Lighting Assistant
Jason Tidswell
ADR Recorded
Sound Disposition
Titles
Simon Oosterdijk
Production Runner
Kerryn Jackson
Key Grip
Rajiv Raj
ADR Recordist
Marc Specter
Laredo performed by
Streets of Laredo
Director
Ivan Barge
Writer
Matthew Harris
Producers
Ivan Barge
Matthew Harris
Jozsef Fityus
Tim Judson
Brett Mills
Sound Mix
Images and Sound
Re-Recording Mixer
Thomas Miskin
Visual FX
BERYL
THANKS TO
Auckland Actors
Auckland City Council
Angela da Silva
Animated Storyboards
Bubblegum Talent
Cato Johnston
Dan Kircher
Dick Reid
Dolly Shop
DVANZ
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Film Effects
Flotsam Jetsam
Gibson Family
High Voltage Lighting & Grip
Hollywood Props
Jesse Warn
Jocelyn Carlin
Johnson & Laird Management
Julian Currin
Julie Alp
Locations Central
Lucy Campbell
NZDF
Panavision New Zealand
Queenstown Camera
Radio Company
Shayne Radford
Showtools
Simon Chesterman
Stephen Piper
Brian Kassler
Emma Harris
Everard Family
Simon Chesterman
Rufus Barge
Yolunda Hickman